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A sandy woodland of pine trees and wetlands will become South Carolina’s sixth state forest through efforts to protect the property from sprawling development in the Lowcountry.
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State conservation leaders met Thursday in Dorchester County to tout acquisition of the more than 1,600 acres near Summerville.
To be called the Old Beech Hill State Forest, the property will be set aside for timber harvesting, public recreation and landscape conservation, according to the S.C. Forestry Commission, which will manage the land.
The Old Beech Hill State Forest contains substantial amounts of high ground, but also includes 80 acres of forested wetlands and the headwaters of two streams that drain into the Edisto River. The Open Space Institute acquired the land under a more than $11 million deal to prevent development west of Charleston.
The land has a history of being used to produce pine trees for market. It was formerly owned by Davis Land and Timber Limited Partnership, records show.
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“It’s a tract under high threat of being developed, as is that whole area down there,’’ Forestry Commission spokesman Doug Wood said. “This property is in the shadow of Summerville, creeping up on it.’’
Wood said other land being conserved from development is also set to become state forests in the future. The Forestry Commission has in recent years moved to expand the number of state forests in South Carolina. Other state forests include Harbison near Columbia, Poe Creek in the mountains, Wee Tee in the Lowcountry, and Manchester and Sand Hills in eastern South Carolina.
“Today marks an exciting addition to our state forest system,” according to a statement from Scott Phillips, South Carolina’s state forester. “Old Beech Hill State Forest will provide long-term benefits from clean water and wildlife habitat to recreation and sustainable forestry. This milestone reflects the power of partnership and our shared commitment to conserving forests for the benefit of our communities, today and tomorrow.”
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